The Galileoscope a high quality, easy-to-assemble and easy-to-use
telescope at an unprecedentedly low price is now available to order. A
Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009),
the Galileoscope was developed by a team of leading astronomers, optical
engineers and science educators to make the wonders of the night sky more
accessible to everyone. Orders can now be placed through
www.galileoscope.org for delivery beginning in late April.
By encouraging the experience of personally seeing celestial objects, the
Galileoscope project aims to facilitate a main goal of IYA2009: promoting
widespread access to new knowledge and observing opportunities. Observing
through a telescope for the first time is an experience that shapes our
view of the sky and the Universe. It prompts people to think about the
importance of astronomy, and for many its a life-changing experience.
Galileoscopes will open up a whole new world for their users and are an
excellent means of pursuing an interest in astronomy during IYA2009 and
beyond.
Galileoscopes are available at the incredibly low price of US$15 per kit.
Discounts are available for group purchases of 100 or more, bringing the
price down even lower, to US$12.50 each, reducing costs for schools,
colleges, astronomical societies, or even parties of interested
individuals. Never before has such a high quality and professionally
endorsed scientific instrument been available for this price.
To further this aim, the Galileoscope Cornerstone project has initiated
the Give a Galileoscope programme. Participants may buy Galileoscopes
for themselves, their families, or their friends at the regular $15 or
$12.50 price (depending on quantity) plus shipping, and/or donate as many
telescopes as theyd like for $12.50 each, with no shipping charges.
Donated Galileoscopes will go to less advantaged schools and other
organisations worldwide, especially in developing countries. This will
help bring a modern education to students in poor schools and empower them
to pursue science and technology knowledge. Donating Galileoscopes
increases the projects global impact and gives people who might otherwise
never have the opportunity to look through a telescope the chance to join
millions of skywatchers worldwide in a shared experience of astronomical
discovery.
The Galileoscope is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei,
who first observed the heavens through a telescope 400 years ago. His
observations were nothing short of revolutionary and changed our view of
the world forever. The Galileoscope is optimised to provide views of the
very same objects that inspired Galileo all those years ago including
craters and mountains on the Moon, the rings of Saturn, the phases of
Venus, a variety of star clusters, and moons orbiting the planet Jupiter.
Sights such as these astounded Galileo and they are all visible, along
with countless other objects, through the Galileoscope. Although, with its
21st-century optics, it will provide a much better observing experience
than Galileo had!
Galileoscopes are also invaluable educational tools, tying in with topics
such as mathematics, physics, history and philosophy. As practical
instruments they can be used to demonstrate basic optical theory in a
real-world scenario, a technique often praised by educators and pupils
themselves. Free educational guides are available on the projects
website, providing further information to teachers, students and
enthusiasts. Experience has shown that the Wow!-factor that kids get
from assembling their own fully functional, high quality Galileoscope is
unsurpassed.
The ability to experiment with lenses while building the telescope offers
a much more powerful learning experience than receiving a preassembled
telescope, says Rick Fienberg, Editor Emeritus of Sky & Telescope
magazine and Chair of the IYA2009 Cornerstone project. Users will learn
many aspects of optics and even have a chance to construct two types of
telescopes a modern one and a more primitive one similar to Galileos,
adds Stephen Pompea, US IYA2009 Project Director and member of the IYA2009
Cornerstone project. Building and using a Galileoscope gives kids the
feeling that science is fun.
Galileoscopes are easy to use, sturdy, reliable and well-designed windows
to the Universe. Orders are now being taken through the official website,
www.galileoscope.org. Build one and the stars will be within your reach!
Worldwide observing projects with small telescopes are a key part of the
Galileoscope Cornerstone. The You Are Galileo! project, organised by the
IYA2009 Japan National Committee, uses classroom telescopes along with
worksheets and manuals to form part of a year-long observation programme.
These are designed for children and certificates are available for
participants who send records of their observations to the You Are
Galileo! team.
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Notes for Editors
The Galileoscope is a high quality 50-mm f/10 telescope, with a glass
doublet achromatic objective. A 20-mm Plössl-like eyepiece with twin
plastic doublet achromatic lenses gives a magnification of 25x across a
1.5-degree field, and a 2x Barlow lens (also a plastic doublet achromat)
gives a magnification of 50x. The Barlow lens can also be used as a
Galilean eyepiece to give a magnification of 17x and a very narrow field
of view to simulate the Galileo experience. The standard 1.25-inch
focuser accepts commercial accessories, and the standard 1/4-20 tripod
adapter works with any standard photo tripod (not included).
In addition to the IAU, UNESCO, the IYA2009 Global Sponsors and the
IYA2009 Organisational Associates, principal sponsors of the Galileoscope
project include the American Astronomical Society, the National Optical
Astronomy Observatory, the National Science Foundation, the Astronomical
Society of the Pacific, Carthage College, Merit Models, Photon
Engineering, Sky & Telescope, and Galileo’s Place, home of Galileo-brand
telescopes.
IYA2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galileis first
astronomical observations through a telescope. It is a worldwide
celebration, promoting astronomy and its contribution to society and
culture, with events at regional, national, and global levels.
Links
· Galileoscope website: www.galileoscope.org
· IYA2009 website: www.astronomy2009.org
· You Are Galileo! web site: www-irc.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~webadm/Galileo-E/
For more information:
Dr. Richard Tresch Fienberg
IYA2009 Galileoscope Cornerstone Project Chair
Andover, USA
Tel: +1 978 749 4753
E-mail: rfienberg@galileoscope.org
Dr. Stephen M. Pompea
US IYA2009 Project Director/Chair, US Telescope Kits Working Group
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, USA
Tel:+1 520.318.8285
Cellular: +1 520.907.2493
E-mail: spompea@noao.edu
Dr. Kazuhiro Sekiguchi
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo
Tel: +81 42 234 3955
E-mail: galileoscope@astronomy2009.jp
Further contacts
Pedro Russo
IAU IYA2009 Coordinator
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 195
Cellular: +49 176 6110 0211
E-mail: prusso@eso.org
Yolanda Berenguer
UNESCO Focal Point for the International Year of Astronomy 2009
UNESCO HQ, Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 45684171
E-mail: y.berenguer@unesco.org
Dr. Karel A. van der Hucht
General Secretary, International Astronomical Union
IAU Secretariat, Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
E-mail: K.A.van.der.Hucht@sron.nl
Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6761
Cellular: +49 173 3872 621
E-mail: lars@eso.org
Related video available at:
http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/release/iau0906/
See Steve Pompea talk about the Galileoscope at the 2009 Joint Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists